Not Really Herself
by MissMe113
Summary: Is it her? After so long, could it really be the one girl he's missed so much? Complete
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I don't own any character mentioned. ****If I did, I would be much richer and probably wouldn't be writing FanFics. I also don't own Oreo's, because if I did, I'd weigh a lot more. And also, I realize that I changed a bunch of general history, and that Joe's really wimpy but bare with me for the sake of the story. **

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"Gone…gone…gone…gone…" mumbled Joe Hardy. For the billionth time that day, he had succumbed into a dream like state where he relived the accident. _Her_ accident. Frank Hardy, his older brother, got up from his chair. He walked over to the couch where Joe was muttering and grabbed a pillow. He pressed the pillow up against his right cheek and gently poked his brother in the shoulder.

"Iola?" Joe asked his eyes only a quarter open.

"No…" Frank whispered, pressing the pillow to his cheek more firmly.

"AHHHHH!" screamed Joe, slapping Frank across his left cheek.

"OW! The last time you hit the other cheek!" Frank yelled, dropping the now useless pillow to the floor.

"What? Frank? Did I hit you again?" Joe said, slowly regaining consciousness.

"What do you think?" Frank exclaimed. Joe stood up from the couch and stumbled into the kitchen. He returned a second later with a pack of peas labelled

_**Do not eat: Frank's ice bag.**_

He handed the bag to Frank and sat down in the chair Frank had recently vacated.

Joe rubbed his hands through his hair, making his slightly sweaty hair stick up.

"I miss her, Frank."

"Everybody does. She was special. Not like, mental special but like….. Well, you get it," Frank answered. He was usually good with heart-to-hearts, but seeing his little brother so distraught was throwing the skill off balance. He had never seen Joe so upset. All Joe did was eat bags and bags of Oreo's (Iola's favourite cookie), and cry while Frank stood helplessly in the corner.

"But on the bright side, at least you don't have to worry about ever breaking up with her!" Frank exclaimed brightly. Immediately, he slapped his forehead. Like saying that was going to help! Joe's face fell, and his eyes glistened.

"I need an Oreo," he mumbled, running into the kitchen. Frank sat back on the couch. He was so not helping. He sat back and let his thoughts flow.

Joe hadn't been outside in days, mostly locking himself in his "Teenage Dungeon", as their mother so correctly put it. He really wasn't himself. He was even watching _soap operas! _Joe 'Don't-touch-the-remote-while-I'm-watching-the-game' Hardy was watching soap operas!

Frank hopped to his feet, suddenly struck by an idea. He walked into the kitchen, where Joe was shoving six Oreo's into his mouth at the same time. Frank shook his head in disgust, and then grabbed his brother's arm.

"What--?" Joe cried through a mouth full of cookie.

"Joe. Shower. Now," replied Frank as he pushed his brother into the bathroom and turned the water on.

"But--," Joe began.

"No buts," Frank said, suddenly all business. He grabbed a towel off a rack and threw it towards his brother.

"Iola used to—," started Joe once more.

"Take showers? I should hope so. Now, I'm going to leave, because you can shower by yourself . Hopefully. I'll be back in ten minutes," said Frank, pushing his brother towards the steady stream of hot water.

**--**

**A/N: Love it? Hate it? Like it as just a friend? I really don't care what this means to you but hit the button. I don't even care if you hit the button just for the sake of hitting the review button!**

**Disclaimer: Still don't own HB. Still don't own Oreo's. Still sad.**

**Author's note: I know I changed/made up a lot of things (i.e. Iola's nickname), but bare with me for the sake of the story.**

**A/N2: Slight changes made 01/09/09.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: Still don't own HB. Still don't own Oreo's. Still sad.**

**Author's note: I know I changed/made up a lot of things (i.e. Iola's nickname), but bare with me for the sake of the story.**

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**

An hour later, Frank and a newly cleaned Joe walked down a park path, eating ice cream cones. Frank had thought that fresh air and faces other than the ones that belong to his family would do him good, but every time a dark haired girl passed, Joe practically dropped his ice cream. But every time, it wasn't the girl he was looking for.

Frank looked at his brother. Joe was paler than usual, and his still damp blond hair had lost the slight curl that it used to hold. He was thinner (which was surprising, considering the amount of Oreo's he had eaten) and quieter, not even bothering to make fun of Frank when he had stepped in "chocolate".

"Remember when Iola ate 3 packs of Oreo cookies when she was five? And then she puked all over me?" Frank said, his heart leaping when he noticed the slight smile that graced his brother's face.

"Yeah," Joe nodded, "Not even Mr. Christie himself could have eaten that many. She so deserved her nickname."

"Oreo's. God, she hated it when you called her that," Frank smiled.

"Almost as much as she hated you for daring her to kiss me," Joe retorted.

"I was six, I wasn't that creative. Besides, she once thanked me for that," Frank said, totally unaware that he had spilled the beans.

"She thanked you? When? Why? Did she like me?" Joe exclaimed.

"I….. she never…… oh," Frank sighed, unable to fix his little blunder.

"ANSWER ME!" Joe screamed. Several elderly folks gave then dirty looks and the boys smiled meekly in return.

"Shhhh, are you trying to get arrested? I don't really remember, anyway. You must have been thirteen or fourteen. I don't know if she liked you," Frank hissed, grabbing Joe by his collar. Joe pulled himself out of his brother's grip.

"Fine, I'll drop it!" Joe said, but Frank knew that on the inside, he was singing. Joe's face had noticeably brightened, and he was whistling as he walked. Joe's crush on Iola was no secret, but Frank was pretty sure Iola's crush in Joe was. It was only a few months ago that she had revealed she was in love with his brother.

_"Frank? Can I trust you? Like, seriously trust you? You won't go all Tiffany Wilcox and tell all the other girls I still had an imaginary friend at age 10? God, I hated that Tiffany Wilcox..." _

_"You can trust me," Frank said, cutting her off. "Unless you still have that imaginary friend, because in that case..."_

_"I – I think I'm in love with Joe," Iola stammered out. _

_"Oh, my God! That's great!" Frank exclaimed._

_"Promise you won't tell him? And not a Tiffany Wilcox promise?" _

_"Of course."_

Frank dazed out as he remembered Iola's in depth speech about what cross-your-heart-and-hope-to-die REALLY meant. He glanced at Joe's face one last time, hoping the slight smile would last longer than the others did.

Distant music chimed along with Joe's whistling, as they approached a grassy field. Joe could just make out a group of teenagers sitting at a picnic table, listening to the music. The music, in a word, was Iola. It was loud, fun, the lyrics were outspoken but gentle, it was beautiful, amazing, and hell, it might even offend some people. It made Joe sad, but kind of happy, reflecting on all that his Iola was. The brothers chatted as they walked down the side walk. Soon, the group was clearly visible. Joe's heart stopped. What? It couldn't be? Right? He felt Frank stop beside him.

"F-Frank?" Joe stammered out. Surely his brother would convince him it wasn't real. That it wasn't her.

"I see her," Frank said quietly.

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**A/N: Wow, I wrote this chapter with a mouth full of Oreo's. I don't know why, but it helped me write while the sun was still up.**

**Review?**

**A/N2: Changes made 01/09/09.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: You know the story: Girl reads books. Girl wants book****s. Girl fights for books. Girl gets laughed out of courtroom.**

**A/N: I can't remember if I updated this morning or not! This day has gone on for EVER and I keep thinking its Sunday (which I've been told it isn't). I'm tired. If you don't here from me in more than a week it's because I'm still asleep.**

The brothers stood side by side, unable to move. Joe thought for sure that he was dreaming again, and at any second he was going to slap Frank again. Frank, on the other hand, thought he was having a stroke.

Their eyes were glued to the brunette girl in the field, dancing up and down the field. Her legs moved easily from inside her jeans skirt and a purple tank top fit snugly against her curves. Her tanned skin glowed in the summer heat and stylish, choppy brown chestnut hair swished against her shoulders. Her friends laughed with her as her bare feet tapped up and down the field.

"It can't be. Can it?" croaked Frank as soon as he found his voice.

"I know it can't. But- but I think it is!" Joe whispered.

"We're being silly. Iola, she died!" Frank's voice broke a bit on the word _died._

"But Frank-," Joe began.

"No buts! It's just someone that looks like her. I mean, come on! Iola would never, _never_ wear something like that!" Frank interrupted.

"Oh, so we're back to this? You interrupting me? I was going to say that…" but Joe never finished his sentence. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed a shifty looking man, dressed in black from head to foot. The man crept up behind the group, and quickly snatched an olive green tote of the table. Before the brothers even had time to react, 'Iola' had sprinted up behind him and jumped on his back. The guy landed on the ground hard. The girl stood up and angrily grabbed the bag.

"This purse does NOT match those shoes!" she said by way of explanation. The brothers stared at her in awe. It really did seem like this girl was Iola. But reality hit Frank before it hit Joe. The younger Hardy didn't even think before he began sprinting towards the teens.

He was just about to reach them when the strongest looking guy of the group came up and kissed 'Iola'. She giggled and kissed him back. Without even seeing his face, Frank knew that Joe was heartbroken. Watching in horror, Frank saw Joe shake it off and tap the girl on the shoulder.

"Yes?" she turned around and said in a very Iola-ish voice.

"I'm sorry, but I-Iola?" Joe asked eagerly.

"Iola? Sorry, but I don't know anybody named Iola. My name's Vicky," Iola/Vicky said.

"Vicky?" Joe replied, scrunching up his nose as if the name left a bad taste in his mouth.

"Yeah. Well, at least that's what they tell me," she said, giggling, " I had a serious case of amnesia five months back…" she trailed off as the group shook their heads, and the guy behind her held up six fingers.

"OK, six months ago, and totally forgot everything. Which is probably why I'm spilling my guts to an entire stranger," she laughed, shaking her head.

"Oh, I'm sorry to have bothered you then. You really look liked her. I'm Joe, by the way," Joe mumbled, his heart breaking. He bowed his head and swayed on the spot.

Frank, no longer frozen in mid-step, noticed this and quickly jogged over.

"Gee, I'm real sorry. My brother recently lost his—his girlfriend in an awful car, um; _accident_ and you really do look just like her. Also, I'm Frank. Frank Hardy," Frank blurted as soon as he approached.

"Oh, it's no problem," Vicky smiled.

"Cool, then we'll be getting out of your hair. Right, Joe?" Frank asked.

Joe merely nodded in return, before being lead away by his brother.

"Oh, and I'm really sorry about your girlfriend," they heard a soft voice call from behind them. Slowly, tears trailed their way down Joe's face. Frank watched, just holding his arm around his brother's shoulder, and wondered about how that girl, who looked exactly like Iola, and sounded just like Iola, coincidentally had been struck with amnesia the same month Iola died.

**.**

**A/N: Awww, poor ****Joe! I feel bad for tugging on his heart strings! OK, please, please send me your thoughts (a.k.a. reviews) about this chapter! I was really worried about doing a cliff-hanger, because I wasn't really sure how to have the beginning of this part start. I re-wrote this at least five times before I was (relatively) happy.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: Guess what I'm gonna write here?**

**A/N: Sorry it took me so long to update, I had this infuriating little story idea in the back of my head, and couldn't concentrate until I wrote it down. I'm not gonna post it for a while because it looks like it's going to be quite a bit long. But I promised myself that I would sit down and actually work on this chapter.**

**Anyway…**

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After the sleuths had left the park, Frank decided to take Joe to the mall.

Joe had insisted, claiming he hadn't been crying and wanted to have fun. Frank knew his brother was trying to be strong and felt truly horrible. He was trying to enjoy spending time with his brother, but the little nagging voice in the back of his head kept his mind on 'Vicky'. Her similarity really was uncanny, and part of him had actually been convinced that it was Iola.

As the brothers studied the menu at the malls café, Frank couldn't help feeling like he was missing something, that someone in the room had escaped his carefully trained eye. He turned his focus back on the menu, desperately trying to clear his mind.

But then he heard something from the back of the room that sent shivers down his pine. It was an infectious little giggle, one that was so familiar; it was as if he'd never stopped hearing it.

He could tell that Joe had heard it, too. His face had paled and he looked like he was going to faint. As his brother became completely hypnotized, Frank zeroed in on the laughter and his eyes widened slightly at the source.

Of course. There she was, laughing along with her friends; completely unaware of the spell she had put on Joe.

But suddenly, her vision was drawn to the brothers. Her laughing stopped entirely, and suddenly she had stood up and began to walk towards the pair; without even giving her friends an explanation.

She stopped in front of their table and gave a big smile.

"Hey! Guys from the park, right?" she asked.

"Yeah, Joe and Frank," said Frank nodding towards his brother.

"I thought so. It such a coincidence running into you here!" she exclaimed brightly.

"How so?" asked Joe weakly.

"Well, I felt rotten about telling you about this stupid amnesia when you had bigger things to deal with. I was just thinking that maybe I could help. You know, get over your girlfriend. You said I looked like her, and maybe that could take your mind of things for awhile," she blurted, her cheery smile never leaving her face.

"I don't know…" said Frank, giving his brother a side glance.

"Actually, Frank, I think that would be nice," Joe said quietly. "Maybe she would get my mind of Iola. You know what, Vicky? I'll take you up on that offer." But there was no response from bubbly brunette. She had fallen into a sort of trance when Joe had said 'Iola'. But she quickly snapped out of it and smiled again. She wrote down her number on a piece of paper, and waved her hands before walking back to the group of teens staring at her expectantly.

"Joe…" started Frank, looking at his brother with a concerned glance.

"I know what you're going to say," Joe said, holding up a hand. "Don't order the macaroni again." Joe smiled towards his brother before proceeding to flirt with the now present waitress. Frank glanced at his brother. Maybe spending time with Vicky would help him. Three minutes with her already had him flirting with poor, defenceless girls again. Yeah, he'd have the old Joe back in no time.

--

Three miles away, locked in an extravagant office, a man angrily slammed down the phone.

This could not be happening, it just could not! He'd been so careful, planning everything down to the last detail, but in three minutes, his whole plan had blown apart!

Oh, but he wouldn't let them win; not this time. He smiled wickedly to himself as a plan began to form in his mind. He gently picked up the phone once more and dialled a number that he knew by heart, but had never thought to use. As someone on the other line picked up, he answered in a suave, chilling voice:

"Bob, I need your help…"

--

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**A/N: Dun duh duh! ****Who's Bob? Why was this man so angry? Will Joe actually call Vicky? **

**All these answers will be revealed, but for a price:**

**I need ****reviews ****before I can post again, and I'm prepared to hold the next chapter for as long as necessary! **


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: Don't HB and pals. Now excuse me while I go burst into tears.**

**A/N: Thank you to the **_**two**_** people who reviewed. You see, two people can follow directions! You know, I'm so review-less, I may have to kill off a character. **

**But only maybe. We'll see how the story goes. **

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Joe sat down on his bed. He closed his eyes for a second before standing up and walking down into the kitchen to pick up the phone. He grabbed the phone off the hook and dialed a number he knew by heart.

"We're sorry; this call cannot be completed as dialed. Please hang up and try again…" came a mechanical voice from the other end of the phone. Joe sighed. He had dialed Iola's number.

He shook his head and pulled a crumpled piece of paper from his pocket. He dialed the number listed and waited for an answer.

"Hello?" said a feminine sounding voice from the other side of the connection.

"Hi, Vicky? This is Joe Hardy," Joe replied.

"Oh! Hi, Joe!" exclaimed Vicky, and Joe could tell she was smiling.

"How are you?" Joe asked, trying to polite and not have his emotions blurt out during the conversation.

"I'm fine Joe, how are—Ryan! Stop!" Vicky cried.

"Excuse me? Are you OK?" Joe asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine. My boyfriend just doesn't understand the meaning of polite," Vicky said. Joe heard her gasp, and instruct someone, presumably Ryan, to leave the room.

"Listen, Vicky, I was just wondering if you wanted to get together tomorrow?" Joe said, trying not to let his heart break. She had a boyfriend. Of course.

"Tomorrow?" she asked, sounding surprised, "Uh… yeah! Tomorrow's great!" she responded cheerily.

"Great, so I'll see you at around one?" Joe asked, pleased that she had said yes to meeting on short notice.

"One's fine. I'll meet you at the park? The one I saw you at today, that is," said Vicky. At that moment, someone picked up another line.

"Hello? Are you on the phone, Victoria?" came the voice of a very posh sounding man.

"Yes, Dad. Joe and I will be done talking in a minute," said Vicky sounding annoyed, probably at the use of her full name.

"Joe? Is this someone I know?" said the man, his voice noticeably colder.

"No, Dad. Please get off the phone," Vicky said, trying to be patient. A click told them that her father was no longer on the line.

"God, he's infuriating! Did you notice how chilly the conversation got when I said you were a boy? He's way to over-protective," said Vicky angrily.

"Um, Vicky? If he got mad at you for talking on the phone to a boy, how's he going to react when he finds a boy in your house?"

"Oh, crap! Ryan get out of the--," Vicky started, but was interrupted by surprised yells coming from the hall. He heard Vicky sigh.

"Joe? I gotta go, I'll see you tomorrow," Vicky said tiredly.

"Cool. See you tomorrow, _Victoria_," Joe said teasingly before he hung up.

Joe smiled. He was going to see Vicky tomorrow. He went outside to find Frank and tell him the good news.

--

Frank turned the corner, panting from his jog. He decided to take a run after he and Joe had gotten home, and had been running as if to run away from his problems.

As he slowed down to a walk, he noticed some bushes ruffle out of the corner of his eye.

In a split second, a huge beefy man came out of the bush, holding a huge baseball bat above his head.

Frank's eyes widened and did the first thing that came to mind. He ran.

He sprinted down the street, still tired form his previous run.

_If I make it through this, this is the LAST time I run. Come to think of it, I might never play baseball again, too, _Frank thought bitterly as the giant man came tearing down the street after him.

Frank ran down his street and saw Joe walking towards him. He raced up and grabbed his brother's arm, pulling him into the safety of the house. He sat down panting, as Joe looked at him curiously.

"Yo, big brother? What the hell was that for?" Joe said.

"Big guy… baseball bat… chase…" panted Frank.

"Sure, Frank. Like I'm supposed to believe some guy was chasing you with a bat," laughed Joe.

"You should believe it," Frank said, pointing outside.

That exact second, the baseball bat broke through the window.

Frank covered his eyes as glass shattered throughout the living room. He opened his eyes, only to see the huge guy running down the street. He sighed and looked around for his brother.

To his horror, he found him.

He was lying on the ground, glass in his hair, and baseball resting on his forehead. Normally, this wouldn't have freaked Frank out. Joe had gotten his fair share of concussions before.

But the thing that scared him was Joe wasn't moving.

Or breathing.

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**A/N: Ooohhhh, I swear, if I hadn't created baseball bat guy, I would totally kill him.**

**But I can't to that for the sake of the story.**

**Guess what? I want reviews!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: If I owned the books, do you really think I would have started with 'disclaimer'?**

**A/N: OMG! I just realized that I wrote that Frank would****n't have freaked out! I didn't mean to write that! I meant to write 'Normally, this wouldn't have freaked out Frank **_**too much**_**.' God, I made Frank seem like a total jerk! Please, please forgive me! **

**Anyway:**

Frank slid quickly to the floor. He raised a hand to his brother's neck to check for a pulse and found one. Although it was strong, without air, it would soon get weaker.

"Mom! Dad! Anyone!" Frank screamed. His mother came rushing into the room and gasped.

"Oh, my God! What happened?" his mother cried.

"Mom, there is no time to explain! Call an ambulance!" Frank called out to her. His mother quickly ran to make the call and came back to assure him help was on the way. Frank bent down over his brother. That's when he noticed a piece of glass about an inch long sticking out of Joe's throat. Frank gasped. It hadn't drawn any blood, but was probably very close to his windpipe.

Just seconds later, the shriek of ambulance siren's shattered through the day.

As Joe was loaded into the back of the ambulance, their neighbors came rushing out. The man shook his head and sighed.

"It's always the Hardy's."

--

"Mr. and Mrs. Hardy?" asked a short, blond doctor. His parents quickly rose to their feet.

"That's us," Fenton said.

"We were able to remove the glass without any damage to the windpipe. Other than a slight concussion and a bit of a scratchy voice, he should make a full recovery," the doctor smiled, "He's in room 232 if you want to see him now."

"Thank you doctor," Laura called out softly before scurrying down the hall to see her baby boy.

"This hospital's becoming a bit too familiar for my liking," grumbled Fenton as he followed his wife.

Frank stayed rooted to his chair. In his mind, he was running over everything that could help the police identify Big Ugly Baseball Guy (BUBG).

_About 5'11", __tan skin, brown hair, dark clothing…_

Something stuck in Frank's mind. Just earlier today, a big ugly guy fitting that description had attacked Vicky at the park. Know this was getting interesting.

Frank walked down the hall to room 232, stopping just as his parents left the room.

"They're not keeping him overnight, but he has to stay for a few more hours under observation before he can go home," Fenton said.

"We're just going to run home and get him some decent food. He's been begging for something to eat ever since he woke up," smiled Laura.

"Yup," said Fenton, "That's my boy."

"OK, I'll just stay here with Joe. But when you see the police, can you give one of them this?" asked Frank, handing his father a small notepad full of information concerning BUBG. His father took the notebook before proceeding to lead Laura out of the hospital.

Frank watched them leave, and then slowly opened the door to Joe's hospital room.

"Hey, Joe," Frank called out softly as he entered the small room.

"Frank! Thank God you're here," croaked Joe.

"Why? What's wrong?" Frank asked.

"I'm bored to DEATH!" Joe croaked out impatiently.

"That's all? Are you sure your OK?" asked Frank.

"Positive. Now, talk to me. Why was I hit in the head with a baseball bat?" asked Joe.

"Your guess is as good as mine," Frank answered.

"You don't know? You must have done something!" Joe whispered.

"I thought YOU did something!" Frank exclaimed.

"Great. I got hit in the head, and I haven't even done anything! Yet," said Joe.

"Yet? No, Joe. We're not getting involved this time. We're going to let the police handle it this time," Frank said harshly to his blond haired brother.

"And be like normal citizens?" Joe asked, mock horrified.

"Exactly," Frank said.

"But that's boring!" Joe whined.

"Deal with it," Frank muttered.

"Fine, but I won't be happy about it," Joe grumbled.

--

"Bob! You're here! I assume the job is done?" Came a chilling voice from a leather chair.

"Yeah, boss! The bat left him a big mark an' everything!" gloated Bob stupidly.

"The... the bat? As in a baseball bat?" The voice questioned.

"Yup! My pride and joy!" grinned Bob.

"Let me get this straight, you didn't hit him with a car, you hit him with… a bat?" said the voice coldly.

"Der, you never said to hit him with a car! But it's OK, boss. I don't judge. Now, about the money…" Bob trailed off as the voice started chuckling.

"Money? You think I'm going to pay you for this?" The voice said.

"Well, I did do my job…" started Bob.

"Bob, I asked you to kill him, not take him out to the ball game!" screamed the voice, the chair turning around to face Bob.

"But boss…"

But that was the last thing Bob ever said.

A gun-shot rang out through the silence.

"Like they say, if you want a job done well, you do it yourself…"

**A/N: I kinda feel bad for killing Bob. But only kind of. I know Frank called him Big Ugly Baseball Guy, but I had my own nickname for him…**

**Anyway, please send me your thoughts and constructive criticism. Especially about the hospital/injury scene. I'm not really into injures. I almost puked just talking about it. **

**REVIEW!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: If I owned anything, there**** would be some serious trouble.**

**Needless to say, I don't.**

**A/N: I'm such a procrastinator! Every time I start to write, something always distracts me!**

**I told myself that I was going to finish and post this yesterday, and well, I obviously didn't!**

**I can't wait till I'm on summer vacay- I'll have all day to write!**

"Doctor? Can I go now? Please?" Whined Joe, holding the last word far too long.

"It depends. Does your head still hurt? Does your throat hurt? Or is it just your ego?" asked the doctor.

"Yes. Everything hurts. But I just had throat surgery and I have a concussion. It comes with the territory. And my ego is still yelling at me for letting myself get hit with a baseball bat. But otherwise, I'm peachy," Joe croaked cheerfully.

The doctor eyed him before sighing.

"OK, Mr. Hardy. You're free to go."

"I'm free!" Joe exclaimed, before lifting a hand to his throat with a pained expression. The doctor smirked.

"The only condition is that you don't do…that," the doctor said before leaving the room. Joe quickly bounced out of the room and walked towards the lobby.

--

The second they arrived home, Joe scrambled out of the car and ran up to Frank's room, only pausing for a second to take in the smashed window covered with boards.

"Frank!" Joe exclaimed and then once again raised a hand to his sore throat.

"Joe! You're home!" Frank cried, hiding all evidence that proved he actually was working on the case.

"Yeah, I'm – what's that?" asked Joe suspiciously.

"Oh, just a project for school," Frank said quickly.

"'K, whatever. Now tell me, what have you found?" Joe asked excitedly.

"What do you mean?" Frank asked, trying to look confused.

"On the case! I want to now everything," Joe said.

"Joe, the only thing I know is that we – most likely you—made someone mad enough to throw bats," Frank sighed.

"Excellent deduction, Sherlock," Joe said sarcastically, "Now, seriously, where are we going to start?"

"We aren't going to start. Like I said, we're going to leave this to the police," Frank said, getting up to leave the room.

"Oh, come on! You're the most Ebenezer Scrooge-like Sherlock I've ever met!" Joe called out.

"Bah, humbug," came a distant voice from the hall.

--

Ten minutes later, Frank found himself at his friend Chet's – and Iola's brothers- house.

He didn't know who BUBG was, but he was positive he had something to do with 'Vicky'. He had thought that maybe Chet knew something – anything- about her.

The reason Frank hadn't shared his suspicions with Joe, was because he was so worried about his baby brother. He really didn't want him to get hurt anymore than necessary.

Finally, Chet answered the door.

"Frank! What are you doing here?" asked Chet, ushering Frank into his house.

"Chet, I really need to talk to you about something," Frank said.

--

"Really? She looks exactly like Iola?" Chet asked.

"Like a total and complete twin," Frank said.

"What did you say her name was?" Chet said.

"Vicky –probably short for Victoria- Albertson," Frank said.

Chet's eye's turned into a mask of frustration.

"Where have I heard that name before?" he asked himself out loud.

"I don't know. Now Chet, I have a feeling that somehow she's tied into this," Frank told his friend.

"Vicky Albertson…" Chet muttered under his head.

"But seriously, Chet. You should have seen her. It was like looking at a picture of Iola," Frank said, leaning back against the coach.

"Picture! That's it!" Chet said, his eyes lighting up. Frank watched in confusion as his friend got up and walked over to a photo album.

"What are you doing?" asked Frank.

"Here, look," said Chet pointing to a picture.

Frank gasped. There was a picture of a girl -- maybe sixteen or seventeen--, an absolute spitting image of Iola. The label under the picture read 'Vicky Albertson, age sixteen'.

"That's her! How do you know her?" asked Frank incredulously.

"Actually, Frank, no. That's not her. That's my aunt. My grandma had her when she was really young; sixteen maybe," Chet explained.

"That doesn't make any sense," Frank said, furling his brow, "Your aunt would be much older than that now."

"I know that. But that's not the really weird thing. Vicky died right after this picture was taken," Chet said.

"What? How?" Frank asked.

"I'm surprised you didn't hear about it. It was a while ago, but the article's framed in the library. A section was donated in her name after she died,"

"Right, how could I forget?" Frank asked himself.

"That's not the point, Frank. The thing is, Vicky, she was murdered. And they never caught the guy."

**A/N: Well, there you go. That's one of the biggest keys to the finale. **

**I figure there's gonna be four or five more chapters.**

**And oh yeah:**

**I want reviews! Helpful pointers, constructive criticism, anything!**

**I don't even care if you just write "GOULASH!" **

**And yeah, I know.**

**Goulash is a weird word.**


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: Don't own anything. Makes you sad, doesn't it?**

**A/N: OK, this time, it wasn't procrastination that got to me.**

**Where I live, there have been 7 power outages in the span of 2 days.**

**I lost EVERYTHING I had written for this chapter, so it won't be as good as what**

**I had originally written (but then again, you don't know what that is…)**

**And I also realize that I never mentioned anywhere that Vicky's last name was Albertson. But there's a logical explanation to how the brothers know: Vicky wrote it on the sheet with her number. Ha!**

**(Italics are journal entries):**

The next day, Joe woke up with a smile on his face. He wasn't sure why, because he didn't really have anything to smile about. After all, he had just been hit on the head with a baseball bat, had a concussion and a really sore throat.

But then he remembered: Today was when he was meeting Io-Vicky in the park.

Joe grinned wider as he hopped out of bed. Too quickly, he realized as he got a major headache. Oh, well! He got to see Vicky!

Joe walked slowly down the stairs to the kitchen. He saw Frank sitting there looking over some piece of paper.

"What are you reading, big bro?" he asked, taking a seat at the table. Frank chocked on his coffee.

"No-nothing!" Frank sputtered, hiding what he was reading.

"Well, it's obviously not nothing considering you're hiding it from me," Joe observed while getting his own coffee from the counter.

"It's just this old newspaper article," Frank mumbled. Well, it was true. It was an old newspaper article. On Vicky Albertson.

"Then why can't I see it?" Joe asked.

"You can, it's just that- oh, what? Coming Mom!" Frank called, desperately trying to escape his brother.

Of course, at that exact second, his mother walked through the front door.

"Good morning, boys," Laura smiled. "I was just doing some shopping."

Frank sighed as Joe looked at him suspiciously.

"Frank… what's in the newspaper?" Joe asked again.

"No-nothing, really. Oh, is that the time? I really have to go… uh, shower," Frank stuttered.

"OK," Joe said slowly.

"Anyway, don't you have to get ready to go meet Vicky?" Frank asked with a smile. A very fake smile. He really didn't want Joe going to meet this girl until he knew for sure who she was.

A smile light up Joe's face.

"Oh, yeah! I have to go get ready," Joe said, running up the stairs.

"Frank let out a sigh of relief. He too walked up the stairs to his room.

He sat down at his desk and once again began reading the article.

Everything seemed normal, except for one line that was really bugging him.

_'One of the most tragic parts of this nightmare is the fact that despite her young age, Miss Albertson was__ secretly more than 3 months pregnant. So, not only one life was taken, but two.'_

So she had been pregnant? Was that the reason someone had been out to get her? The father of the child, perhaps? That was probably the safest bet.

But Frank would probably never know. There was no way of asking her, and considering the fact that it had been a secret, no one else would have known.

Maybe Vicky had kept some sort of journal? Anything to help find this mystery father.

Quickly, Frank picked up the cordless phone and dialed Cher's number.

"Hello?" came a muffled voice.

"Hi, Chet. Eating while answering the phone again, are we?" Frank laughed.

"Shut up! I'm hungry," Chet exclaimed.

"That's really beside the point, Chet," Frank said. " I need you to find out if Vicky ever kept a diary, or a notebook, or… something."

"Well, I'm going up to my Grandma's house today, anyway. I can always snoop around while I'm there. I mean, unless there's snacks," Chet replied.

"That's great!" Frank exclaimed. "Call me if you find anything!"

After Frank hung up the phone, he smiled. Solving mysteries was fun.

--

Joe nervously glanced at his watch. It was 1:05 and there was still no sign of Vicky.

He ran a hand through his already messy hair and looked around.

He practically sighed in relief as he saw her walking down the street. He raised a hand to wave, and smiled when she waved in return.

Vicky was wearing dark blue jeans and a tight fitting green t-shirt. It was much more Iola-like than yesterday.

"Hi, Joe!" Vicky said, wrapping her arms around him in a hug.

"Hi, Vicky," Joe said, returning the hug. It felt so much like Iola's hugs, he wanted to scream.

"What's up?" Vicky asked, and then gasping slightly at the size of the enormous bruise on his forehead. "What happened?"

"Oh, I got hit on the head with a baseball bat. But otherwise, I'm great!" Joe announced cheerily.

"Same here. Oh, well, minus the baseball bat thing," she laughed.

That laugh was like music to Joe's ears. It was perfect, exactly like Iola's. Full, bubbly, and happy.

"Anyway, I was thinking we could catch a movie?" Vicky asked.

"That sounds perfect," Joe grinned, taking Vicky's arm and leading her away from the park

--

Three hours later, the phone rang at the Hardy residence.

"Hello?" Frank said.

"Frank! It's Chet! You'll never guess what I found!" Came Chet's gleeful voice from the other end of the line.

"You found Vicky's diary?" Frank asked eagerly.

"Yup! The only thing is, is it's locked. And it's not one of those dinky little dollar store locks either," said Chet.

"You think that's a problem? I could pick locks in my sleep!" Frank exclaimed.

"Bring it over right now!"

Exactly ten minutes later, Chet appeared with a worn, old pink notebook in his hand.

"Here's the journal, Frank," Chet said. "I'm going to have to leave this to you, though. Mom's making cake!" Frank rolled his eyes. Leave it to Chet to pick cake over a mystery.

"That's fine. Thanks for bringing it over," Frank said.

"No prob. See you later, buddy," Chet said before walking away.

Immediately, Frank ran up to his room. The lock was a very large one, but would be no problem whatsoever.

Three minutes later, the old lock fell to the floor.

Frank grinned. Hopefully this diary would be the key to the mystery!

Frank skimmed a few pages before landing on one that was tear-stained. It was hard to read, but he could pretty much see the important part.

_'David came over yesterday when Mom was gone. He was talking really weird, telling me about how he needed me to do a favor for him. He told me exactly what I needed to do. Of course, I flat out refused. But the next thing I now, he's tackling me to the floor, and touching me in a way that was certainly NOT appropriate. Then, I felt a sharp hit to my head, and everything went black. I don't remember what happened, but when I woke up this morning, I just KNEW that we… that he… I'm so scared.'_

Frank felt his face burn with anger towards 'David'.

It sounded like David had raped Vicky!

Of course she was scared, this person had just randomly decided to…

Frank clutched the edges of the journal tighter. He took a deep breath and flipped to the next entry, which was a month later.

_'I haven't seen David since the incident. Nobody knows. _

_The scariest part is that I'm late…'_

Frank blushed. He skipped over the end of the sentence, which was silly!

He shouldn't be embarrassed! It was a key part of the mystery!

Frank shook it off and continued reading.

_'I… I think I might be pregnant! That would be the worst thing that could possibly happen! No, that's wrong. I'm not pregnant! I'm probably just over stressed!'_

Frank turned to the next entry. It was only two words:

_'I'm pregnant.'_

Frank felt a number of things. He was mad, upset, sorry and embarrassed.

Vicky had been in a horrible situation! She probably was feeling horrible all the time, and he was sure everyone had been worried about her!

The next entry was brief:

_'I'm keeping it. No one can stop me. I'm going to tell everyone tomorrow. __Speaking of tomorrow, David's back in town. He wants me to meet him. Like I really want to see the man whose face has been haunting my dreams! The man who did… this to me! But I have to. I have to tell him about the baby. I'm sure he'll apologize for what he did.'_

Frank stared at the page. That had been the last entry. She had been on her way to tell her family when she was killed! She had met with David, despite her better judgment, and it had got her killed.

Frank suddenly got hit with a thought.

If Vicky was somehow involved in what was going on now, it meant that David was involved.

And now Joe was involved.

And that could NOT be good.

**A/N: Some very important stuff went down in this chapter. But I must say, this one looks puny compared to the next one, trust me.**

**The power had gone out sooo much here, it's getting annoying.**

**But you know what would help me through the pain?**

**REVIEWS!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: ****I own nothing. Nothing at all.**

**A/N:****OK, I'm really sorry if anyone was confused about the last chapter in ANY WAY! The diary that Frank was reading was Vicky, Iola and Chet's aunt not Vicky who Joe was hanging out with. The original Vicky Albertson, if you will. **

**Sorry for any confusion.**

After the movie, Joe led Vicky to an ice cream parlor. They sat in the corner booth, licking their cones, and chatting.

"So, how did you get amnesia?" Joe asked.

"Ah, the pink elephant in the room," Vicky laughed. "I'm not really sure. No one will tell me. I don't know why."

"That's weird. Aren't you the least bit curious?" Joe responded.

"Of course I'm curious! But, I guess if it's so terrible that no one wants to tell me, I don't really want to know!" Vicky said, licking the melting drops of ice cream.

"Oh," Joe said as Vicky's cell phone began to ring.

"Oh, I have to take this," she murmured before answering.

"Hi, Daddy!" Vicky chirped. "Oh, I'm at the ice cream parlor with Joe."

Joe could here the mumbling of someone on the other line.

"Uh-huh. OK. Yeah, we'll go right now. Bye, Daddy! Love you," Vicky said.

"What was that all about?" Joe asked.

"Oh, my dad's leaving the house, and he's super paranoid, so would it be cool if we hung out there for a while?" Vicky asked sweetly.

"Of course," Joe said. Together they walked out into the warm summer sun and down the street towards Vicky's house.

--

Frank lay frozen on his bed. What had Joe gotten himself into?

That David guy sounded like someone who would do anything to get what he wanted. After all, look at Vicky (**original)**!

Suddenly, Frank shot up. Vicky had written that David had asked for a favor, but what he had asked must have been the part smudged by tears! If he could figure out what it said, he could stop it!

Frank jumped up to his desk. He turned on a lamp and looked over the page.

He grinned. His suspicions had been correct!

Although the ink had smudged, the indentations from the pressure of the writing were clearly visible!

"Thank God she put to much pressure on her pen!" Frank murmured, getting out a piece of paper to cover the page and a pencil.

Using light pressure, Frank shaded the pencil over the paper. Soon, white letters began appearing on the sheet.

When he was done, he sat back to read the sheet over:

_David told me he was part of a secret group. He said he needed me to become part of this group. He described what the group was most famous for, and I was appalled! There was no way I would ever, EVER become an Assassin._

Frank held his breath in anger.

David was an Assassin? As in the people who killed Iola?

He couldn't believe David had raped Vicky over the fact she didn't want to become an Assassin!

Frank repeatedly clenched and unclenched his fists. If this was somehow tied to the Vicky/Iola thing, Joe was in much more danger than he thought!

Frank stood quickly. He went to the phone book and looked up _Albertson. _

As soon as he found the address, he shot out the door.

He needed to save his baby brother!

--

"Here it is! Home sweet home!" Vicky exclaimed, throwing open the front door of an extravagant mansion.

"Wow. This place is huge!" Joe cried.

"Daddy has some money…" Vicky said slowly.

"Some? This is more than some!" Joe said.

"Come on," Vicky said leading him into the kitchen.

"So…" Joe started.

"Hey, Joe? Will you tell me about your girlfriend? The one that died, I mean," Vicky said, looking Joe straight in the eyes.

"Uh, sure." Joe said, caught off guard. "Well, for starters, she was beautiful. Like, unbelievably beautiful. She looked exactly like you," Joe started, but paused when Vicky blushed.

"Go on," she said quietly.

"Well, Iola was…she was, in a word, perfect. I just can't describe her any other way," Joe said. It was true. To him, Iola was the most perfect girl in the world.

"How did she die?" Vicky asked.

"Car explosion. Someone bombed my car," Joe said quietly, but looked her straight in the eye. He saw Vicky's eye's widen.

"Wow. I feel horrible for bringing it up," she said.

"No problem. I mean, I still love her, and I miss her like crazy, and I always will but, sometimes, you have to start letting go. Even if you don't want to," Joe said sadly.

Vicky came over and put her arms around Joe.

"Vicky? " Joe asked.

"Yeah?" Vicky said, her voice muffled by Joe's shirt.

"Do you have any Oreo's?"

"Always," Vicky replied, pointing to a shelf.

Joe grinned and walked over.

"You really do look like Iola," Joe said, coming over with two Oreo's.

"I believe you," Vicky whispered. The next thing Joe knew, he and Vicky were only half an inch apart.

"Joe... I can't. I have a boyfriend," Vicky whispered.

"I understand," Joe said. He turned around to leave, but then stopped.

He walked back over to her and handed her an Oreo.

As soon as the Oreo touched Vicky's hand, she sis a double-take, and threw it to the floor. Vicky's eyes were wide as she threw her hands up to cover her mouth.

"What's wrong?" Joe asked urgently.

"Oh, my God! Oh, my God!" Vicky said quietly.

"What is it?" Joe asked again.

"Oh, my God! Joe! I love Oreo's!" Vicky said quietly.

"Then why did you throw it to the ground like that?" Joe asked incredulously.

"You don't understand! I love Oreo's! I ate 3 packs when I was five! My nickname is Oreo's!" She shrieked. Joe's eyes widened.

"Oh, my God!" he said quietly.

"Oh, my God!" she said, nodding.

"Iola?" Joe asked.

"Iola!" she confirmed, tears running down her face as she leapt into Joe's arms.

Joe held her close. It was Iola! He knew it! Vicky was Iola!

Joe felt tears running down his own face as he stroked her hair. He had never been so happy in his life! The girl he loved was alive!

"Iola?" Joe asked, loving the way her name felt on his tongue.

"Yes, Joe?" Iola said happily.

"I love Oreo's too," he whispered into her ear. She pulled out of the hug, her face confused. Then he saw the penny drop as her eyes grew wide.

"I love you, too Joe!" She cried. Joe grinned.

Once again, they slowly leaned in. But this time, she didn't stop him.

The two of them shared the best kiss of their lives, full of electricity and love, full of promises and compassion.

Then they heard a voice behind them.

"Aw, how sweet!" the voice said.

And let's make one thing clear:

The voice defiantly wasn't Frank's.

**A/N: Yay! I fixed Iola! **

**I hope you liked this chapter! There are a couple more, still.**

**I'm so proud of myself for updating twice in one day! **

**I love this chapter, and would also love your opinions.**

**So please REVIEW!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer: I own it. Oh, wait. No, no I don't.**

**A/N: Hi! It's me again! Well, duh. I am the only one writing this story!**

**Sorry if it took me a long time to update. I know the ending and everything, but I'm just so uninspired! Not because of you guys, you've been awesome! It's just so hot here! I'm melting! And so is my imagination! (Ahh!) So, this is the best I can do for now. Wish me luck!**

* * *

Joe froze with his mouth still on Iola's. That was most defiantly not his big brother.

Iola pulled back and turned around.

"Daddy?" She asked.

"Daddy? Mr. Morton?" Joe asked turning around as well.

"No. My other dad. I mean, my dad from when I thought I was Vicky!" Iola explained.

"Huh. Well, I'm confused," Joe stated.

"You should be," said the man.

"Um, yeah. Who are you?" Joe asked.

"Oh, yes! Where are my manners? I am Robert Cunningham," he said mysteriously.

"OK. Well, I assume you know that I'm Joe Hardy," Joe started.

"Yes, of course. Trust me, Joe. I know everything about you," Robert said.

"OK, a little creepy," Joe mumbled.

"Daddy- I mean Robert- why did you tell me my name was Vicky?" Iola demanded.

"Because, my dear, you had an aunt named Vicky, so it was the perfect cover," Robert explained.

"Of course, Aunt Vicky," Iola whispered.

"Wait- the perfect cover for what?" Joe asked, wrinkling his nose.

"The perfect cover identity, of course! You see--," Robert started.

He was interrupted by a loud banging of the front door.

"Joe?" Someone called through the house.

"Frank?" Joe asked. "Is that you?"

In a second, Frank appeared in the kitchen.

"Hi, Joe. Hi Vicky," he said.

"Iola," she corrected. Frank looked confused until he realized what was going on. He had a totally gleeful expression until he turned around and noticed Robert.

"Oh, crap! He's here? When did he get here?" Frank demanded.

"You know him?" Iola asked.

"Well, I think I do…" Frank started, but was cut off by Robert.

The older man had been talking on his phone without anyone noticing.

"It's so nice to see you, Franklin!" Robert cried.

"Franklin…" Frank muttered angrily under his breath.

With that, two thugs entered the room carrying baseball bats.

Then, the three teens succumbed into a world of darkness.

--

Frank opened his eyes slowly. He had a throbbing pain in his head.

He heard shuffling beside him and realized that it must be Iola and Joe.

"Joe? Iola?" Frank asked.

"I'm here, Frank," Iola whispered.

"Urgh…" came Joe's voice.

"What happened?" Frank asked.

"Baseball bats," Joe muttered angrily. "It's always baseball bats."

"Great. Now we all have concussions," Frank mumbled.

"No, they didn't hit me with a baseball bat. He used that really sweet smelling stuff," Iola said.

"Chloroform?" Joe asked.

"Yeah, that's it. I think he said something about wanting me to be in good condition for later," the girl whispered.

Frank's face paled. He opened his mouth to say something, but was cut off by Robert entering the room.

"Well, well. I'm so glad to see you're all up! After all, it's time for the main attraction!" Robert announced gleefully. Frank looked at him disgustedly.

"Well, it's nice to see someone understands what I'm talking about, right Frank?" Robert asked.

"What's he talking about?" Joe whispered.

"Yes, why don't you tell them, Mr. Hardy?" Robert said to the older brother.

"I assume you know that Iola had an aunt named Victoria Albertson," Frank started.

"Yes. Well, Iola did," Joe said.

"Anyway, when Vicky was sixteen, she had a … friend named David. One day when Vicky's mom was out, David came over with a little proposition," Frank said, looking over at Robert.

Frank was disgusted to see that the older man had a widely spreading evil grin on his face. He shook it off and continued.

"He... he asked Vicky to join the Assassins," Frank said, but stopped when he heard Joe's gasp.

"Who are the Assassins?" Iola asked.

"We'll tell you later," Joe said angrily.

"Yes. Please continue, Frank," their capturer said.

"Anyway, David told Vicky all about the Assassins. She was disgusted and told him no. Well, I guess this made David a little angry. He…he knocked her out and… and… and then he raped her," Frank finished quietly.

Iola gasped, and from where they were tied together –in a circle with their backs in the middle- he could feel Joe stiffen.

"Oh, but you're not finished yet, Frank," Robert said, his smile getting wider.

"Well, Vicky woke up and she was really freaked out. And it turns out she had a reason to be. Later on, she found out that she was pregnant," Frank said.

Both Joe and Frank could feel Iola's back shaking, and they knew she was crying for her deceased aunt.

"She had decided to keep it, and was on her way to tell her family, when she stopped to see David. She told him about the baby, and he killed her. Right, David?" Frank said, looking pointedly at the old man.

The man grinned even wider.

"For once Frank, you're wrong. I'm not David."

* * *

**(A/N: This is gonna be a a little long, cuz it's the climax, and I wouldn't want to deprive you.)**

"What? That doesn't make sense!" Frank exclaimed. "If you're not David, who are you?"

"Frank, Frank! Let's handle one situation at a time! First, you must explain to little Iola who the Assassins are!" Robert replied. Joe turned his head to glare at their capturer.

"Iola, the Assassins are the ones that… killed you," Joe said slowly.

"That… killed me?" Iola asked.

"Well, we thought they had killed you. One of the, Al-Roussasa, he filled our car with bombs, and it exploded when you went to get more pamphlets," Frank explained.

"But... but…" Iola stuttered. "How?"

"We actually don't know," Joe said. "Care to explain that Robert?"

"Why, of course! You see, the bombs went off before Iola got to the car. She was catapulted back and hit her head on the rock. When we found her, we immediately recognized her. We kept her until she woke up –after Al-Roussasa died- and then we came up with this little plan!" Robert exclaimed joyfully.

"Which is…?" Joe asked.

"Revenge," Robert answered simply.

"On…?" Frank asked this time.

"You. And the original Vicky Albertson," Robert replied.

"Why?" asked both the brothers.

"Well, you see kids, Al Roussasa, he was my brother."

--

The group sat still, horrified.

"You're… Al Roussasa's brother?" Joe asked slowly.

"No, no, dears. You see, I've always been quite the actress," Robert started.

"Um… Robert? You mean actor," Iola said.

"Oh, no. I mean actress," Robert said, his voice suddenly feminine.

"Oh, my God!" Frank exclaimed. "EW… you're a girl?"

"Why, yes," she replied.

"Um, first: EW. And second: so, your name isn't Robert?" Joe asked.

"Roberta," she said with an evil grin.

The teens all felt the mutual feeling of nausea.

"Gross…" Iola groaned.

"You see, if I posed as Iola's father, then I could get her close to me, and then have a repeat of Vicky's punishment. We knew that would hit you the hardest. We just had to wait until she remembered who she was. Preferably while you were here," Roberta said.

"EW! YOU'RE going to rape her?" Joe asked, two questions formed in one sentence.

**"**Oh,no. You see, that's where David comes in," Roberta laughed.

"David?" Frank asked, feeling sick to his stomach.** (star) **

At that second, a large, red-headed man came through the door way, smiling evilly.

**"**Oh, God.Oh, God!" Joe whispered.

"Please tell me you're not going to do this," Frank begged quietly.

Suddenly, both brothers noticed that Iola was terrifyingly still.

"Are…are you gonna rape me?" Iola asked quietly.

"Yes," David said. "And they're gonna watch."

And with that, Iola passed out.

(Although the Hardy boys weren't very stable themselves.)

* * *

**A/N: Oops, a little deprivation! I don't know if you noticed the star beside Frank felt sick. FYI, I feel pretty sick, too! I'm disgusted with myself for actually writing that. ****I just thought it went well with the story line. Please, please forgive me for going from happy ending chapter to Good, God! I'm gonna kill this author! Chapter. I'll update ASAP. I'm pretty sure Iola will be saved, but you never know. I really hate myself for writing this. Hopefully you won't!**

**(Sorry sorry!)**

**REVIEW AND I'LL UPDATE QUICKER! If I get at least three reviews, I promise the next chapter will be up tomorrow at this time! Five reviews guarantee a happy ending! (8:46 Eastern Time I think that's 5:46 Pacific. Not really sure though. REVIEW!)**

.


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer: I had the rights to them, but I accidentally sold them in a garage sale. **

**So, now I don't. sobs**

**A/N: Ha-ha! Three reviews so I'm posting.**

**I still hate the last chapter. I hope that this makes up for it; I hope no one was mad at me. I really, really hope no one was mad at me.**

**

* * *

**

"Iola? Iola, please wake up!" Joe begged.

"Oh, trust me. She doesn't need to be awake for this!" David bragged.

The brothers shot him evil glares.

"Don't look at me like that! It was his—I mean her idea!" David said. "Although I'm not complaining!"

Without even turning around, Frank could tell that Joe had an angry look in his eyes.

"Don't… you dare… touch her," Joe growled.

"What are you going to do about?" David asked.

"David, it's really getting late! Can't you hurry up?" Roberta whined.

"Oh, shut up!" David said.

"Please, don't do this!" Frank begged.

"She hasn't done anything to you!" Joe protested.

"Yes, but you have. And this way, it's a win-win situation. Roberta gets revenge, and I get some," David said with an evil grin.

"You sick son-of a--," Joe started.

"JOE!" Frank exclaimed.

David glared at Joe.

"Untie the girl," he said to Roberta.

Frank watched in horror as Roberta untied and carried a limp Iola over to the table.

"Perfect," David grinned.

Frank could feel Joe breathing heavily, and twisting on the cords that bound them together.

"Joe," Frank whispered. "When he untied Iola, did it give you any slack?"

He could feel his blond brother twisting around.

"No. What about you?" Joe whispered back.

"Tons. I've already got my hands out. Just hold still, I think I can untie you," Frank whispered to his brother's back, already fiddling with the rope.

Out of the corner of his eye, Frank could see David leaning over Iola.

"Frank, leave me. Just go save Iola!" Joe whispered.

"No. If there are both of us, we have a better chance of saving her," Frank mumbled, still trying to loosen the rope.

Suddenly, Frank heard a ripe through the air. David had torn of Iola's t-shirt, but thankfully, she was wearing a thin white tank underneath. Frank knew that his brother had a clear view and was starting to panic.

"Frank…" Joe whispered, terrified.

"I've almost got you…Done!" Frank whispered triumphantly. He could feel Joe squirming out of the ropes.

"On three," Joe said.

"One… two…three!" Frank exclaimed, jumping up towards the table. He could now see that Iola's eyes were wide open again, but she was paralyzed with fear.

Joe had already made it up to David. In his fury of anger, he had punched him straight in the face, knocking him right to the ground.

"Frank, get Roberta!" Joe exclaimed, flying down on top of David.

"I can't hit a woman!" Frank exclaimed. He turned when he felt a tap on his shoulder, and was instantly knocked to the ground from a hit to his stomach.

"But she can hit you!" Roberta said.

Frank lay on the ground, the wind knocked out of him. His eyes grew wide when he saw Roberta reveal a baseball bat from behind her back.

"Why is it always a baseball bat with you guys?" He heard Joe exclaim as he punched David again.

Right as Roberta began to lower the bat; Iola had finally gotten over her fear, hopped of the table and jumped on Roberta's back.

"Don't you dare!" Iola screamed.

Roberta howled as Iola sunk her teeth into her right shoulder.

Iola jumped off her back and helped frank off the ground.

"On three?" She smiled.

"One… two… three!" Frank exclaimed once more. On 'three', both brunet teens punched the 'women'. One punch landed on her stomach, the other to her face.

Roberta's eyes rolled back as she fell to the floor. He hugged Iola, for the first time in ages.

"Good job," he whispered.

"You too," she said back.

"Uh… guys? I hate to break up this feel good moment, but, I kind of need some help!" Joe yelled, doubling over as David punched him in the stomach.

Iola and Frank ran over to help.

In the next second, David had kicked both Hardy boys…uh, where it hurts, and grabbed Iola by her wrists.

"Don't get up, or the girl dies," David hissed, revealing a knife from his pocket.

Despite their pain, both boys could easily recognize the fear in Iola's eyes. She had tears running down her cheeks and was trying to twist out of David's reach.

"Don't…move," David growled, holding onto her tighter.

Iola instantly froze.

"Stand up slowly," he said to the brothers.

As Joe was rising, he suddenly remembered in a flash his steel toed boots.

He waited until they were both in upright position before jabbing his toe to the ground. The boot made a hollow thump sound that instantly turned Frank's attention downwards. Frank gave a small grin as he looked down at his own identical boots.

Joe thumped the ground slowly, three more times, before looking David straight in the eye.

Frank thumped three times back.

Joe grinned as he raised his fist to hit David square between the eye, and Frank lifted his foot to kick David in the stomach.

The older man gave a squeal of surprise before, falling into a heap on the ground.

Iola was instantly freed, and ran over to Joe, jumping in his arms.

"Thank you," she whispered, into his ear, his shirt slowly soaking with tears.

Instead of answering, Joe just put her back on the ground and looked her straight in the eyes.

"Anytime," he whispered before leaning down to kiss her.

Frank only glanced at the younger teens before setting to work tying the two Assassins' together.

The couple broke apart, but remained in each others arms; just holding each other until the police and paramedic's showed up.

And all Frank could think was how perfect they were for each other.

* * *

**A/N: Am I forgiven? I hope that satisfied your anger. **

**I'm gonna post another chapter now, and it won't be very long. **

**But it will be the last.**

**Please, please, PLEASE review! **


	12. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer: I didn't own it when I began, I still don't own it now.**

**A/N: Well, this is the last chapter. I actually feel like I'm gonna cry!**

**SOB Aw, I'm gonna miss this story!**

**Well, before I get on with the story, I'd like to thank my reviewers!**

**You guys made me LAUGH. It was really motivating.**

**Thank you sooooooo much for all your support!**

**I LUV YA! **

The three teens sat on the front porch to the mansion, watching the police take away David and Roberta.

They sat in total silence, not needing to say anything to each.

Iola rested her head on Joe's shoulder, patiently awaiting the arrival of her parents and brother.

Joe wrapped his arm around Iola's waist, holding her close to him.

Frank sat a foot away from the couple, wanting to give them their privacy.

Not ten minutes later, the Morton's car pulled up in front of the old house.

Her family jumped out of the car, running towards their baby girl.

A radiant smile lit up Iola's face as she leaped away from Joe and towards her family.

The Morton's huddled together in a mass of tears and joy.

The brothers watched smiles upon their faces. It was such a beautiful thing to see, a family reunited with their daughter.

"Frank! Joe! What are you waiting for? Get in here, too!" Mr. Morton called out to the brothers.

Theboys grinned and joined the group, feeling happy and safe.

--

Ten minutes later, Iola approached Joe.

"So, Hardy… Are you ever going to actually ask me out?" She said.

"Don't know; depends," he replied with a grin.

"Depends on what?" Iola asked, her smile matching his.

"On if you love me as much as I love you," he replied, suddenly serious.

"Joe Hardy, I love you more than all the Oreo's in the world," she grinned.

"Well, I don't know if I…Ow! I was kidding!" he exclaimed, rubbing the sore spot on his arm where she hit him.

"Oh, just shut up and kiss me," Iola said, smiling like a fool.

Joe grinned as he leaned down.

Frank smiled from where he was standing. He was glad that Iola was back to being herself.

And now everything was just the way it should be.

**A/N: SOB OMG, it's over!**

**Thank you to everyone who reviewed, I really do love you guys.**

**I hope you enjoyed you the story.**

**Please continue to review, even though I'm done!**

**Thank you again!**


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